What is DivX?

DivX is MPEG-4 Part 2 based video codec - compressed video with good quality at low bitrates. Originally hacked from Microsoft MPEG-4 v3 (1999), later became commercial codec. Peak popularity: 2000-2010 (DVD ripping era). DivX enabled: fitting full movies on single CD-ROM (700 MB), early online video sharing (pre-YouTube), portable media players. Container: typically AVI (.avi) or MKV (.mkv), though .divx extension exists. Audio: usually MP3 or AC3. DivX vs Xvid: DivX is proprietary/commercial, Xvid is open-source alternative (similar codec).

DivX was revolutionary for internet video distribution - before broadband was universal. Users ripped DVDs to DivX (smaller files, easier sharing). DivX certified devices: DVD players, TVs, game consoles could play DivX files (2000s feature). Modern status: largely obsolete - H.264 (2003) and H.265/HEVC (2013) replaced DivX with superior compression. YouTube, Netflix, streaming services use H.264/H.265. Legacy content: millions of DivX files exist (old downloads, backups). Playback: VLC, MPC-HC support DivX. Creation: Handbrake, FFmpeg can encode, but H.264 recommended for new content.

Did you know? DivX enabled fitting full movies on 700 MB CDs - revolutionary in 2000s!

History

DivX emerged from reverse-engineering Microsoft's MPEG-4 codec, becoming the dominant video compression format for internet video in the pre-broadband era.

Key Milestones

  • 1999: DivX ;-) codec released
  • 2001: DivX 4.0 commercial
  • 2005: DivX certified devices
  • 2008: H.264 overtakes DivX
  • 2013: DivX Plus (H.264 support)
  • Present: Legacy format

Key Features

Core Capabilities

  • High Compression: MPEG-4 Part 2
  • Small File Sizes: Movies on 700 MB CD
  • Good Quality: Acceptable at low bitrates
  • Wide Compatibility: 2000s devices
  • AVI/MKV Container: Standard containers
  • Multi-Pass Encoding: Quality optimization

Common Use Cases

DVD Ripping

Compress DVDs to CD-ROM

File Sharing

Pre-YouTube video distribution

Portable Devices

2000s media players

Legacy Content

Old video archives

Advantages

  • Excellent compression (2000s standard)
  • Small file sizes (700 MB movies)
  • Wide 2000s device support
  • VLC/MPC-HC playback
  • Historical significance (enabled internet video)
  • Better than VCD/MPEG-1
  • Multi-pass encoding quality

Disadvantages

  • Obsolete (H.264/H.265 superior)
  • Proprietary codec (licensing)
  • Inferior compression vs modern codecs
  • No modern service support (YouTube, Netflix)
  • Limited to older devices
  • No recommended for new content

Technical Information

Format Specifications

Specification Details
File Extension .divx (rare), .avi, .mkv (containers)
MIME Type video/divx, video/x-msvideo (AVI)
Codec MPEG-4 Part 2 (ASP)
Developer DivX, LLC
Typical Bitrate 700-1500 kbps (DVD quality)
Status Legacy (superseded by H.264)

Common Tools

  • Playback: VLC, MPC-HC, KMPlayer, DivX Player
  • Encoding: Handbrake (legacy), FFmpeg, DivX Converter
  • Ripping: DVDFab (historical), MakeMKV (modern alternative)
  • Modern Alternative: H.264 (x264), H.265 (x265) recommended